After getting the sack by Pittsburgh yesterday, Dan Bylsma has options as for where he should land his next coaching gig. The first question Penguins fans should ask is “Why didn’t this happen sooner?”. Considering three weeks ago they fired Ray Shero and there was slim chance a new general manger would want to keep the coaching staff already in place. Should the Penguins clean house sooner after their playoff loss to New York, they could have been more proactive in getting a head start on a new regime.
The Pens did land Jim Rutherford, considered to be the dean of NHL general managers as he spent the last 20 years with the Hartford/Carolina franchise. And one of Rutherford’s first tasks three weeks before the draft is to let go Bylsma, who was considered the darling of the NHL coaching fraternity just a few years ago.
The former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coach moved up to the big leagues as an interim replacement for Michel Terrien just before the 2008-09 regular season ended. He started his reign 18-3-4 and became the second mid-season replacement coach to win the Stanley Cup over Detroit. Since then things haven’t been to rosey. They have made the playoffs each time but largely underachieved considering the talent they had.
The 2014 United States Olympic coach led the national team in similar fashion to the Penguins in Sochi: off to a great start, then progressing to disappointment and eventually embarrassment.
Three are three vacant jobs remaining, and here’s the analysis of what team is best suited for him.
Vancouver
The Canucks have Ryan Kesler who wants to leave. And if you remember at the trade deadline who was one of the teams he wanted to be traded to? Pittsburgh. Kesler played under Bylsma in the Olympics and new general manager Jim Benning wants to turn the club around in a hurry. That turn around can happen quickly if Bylsma can keep Kesler and add a couple free agents (including a goalie).
Florida
The Panthers have new ownership. And they have said they are committed to spending money to make the team a contender in the East. But they have young talent and a veteran goaltender in Roberto Luongo. One benefit the Panthers have over most NHL cities is nice weather year-round.
Carolina
It would be interesting if he went to Rutherford’s former employer. Like Vancouver, there’s new management in place and they are looking to make a splash with a head coaching hire. He could be reunited with Jordan Staal and there’s a solid roster of players that can be coached up to succeed. The job isn’t as high profile as say Vancouver, but most can argue it’s better than the Florida job.
